Speaker Silver among political power players to blast Bloomberg's rejection of proposal

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks it's a dumb idea to move the terror trial to Governor's Island, but residents in Lower Manhattan tihnk it's a bad idea to have it so close to home.

Updated at 4:15 PM EDT on Friday, Jan 22, 2010

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the proposal to move the high-profile trial of five terror suspects to Governor's Island, half a mile away from the tip of Manhattan, is "one of the dumber ideas" he's heard.

Bloomberg has fully supported the Obama administration's decision to try accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other accused terrorists down the block from Ground Zero. In November, he called it a "fitting" location and expressed confidence that the police force would be able to handle the security issues.

But talk about moving the terror trial out of such a high-trafficked, populated area and to Governor's Island began germinating in late December. Despite Bloomberg's dismissal of the idea Thursday morning, the concept of moving it elsewhere continues to gain traction.

On the same day the mayor made his statement against moving the trial to Governor's Island, Kelly said he's "certainly open to that suggestion." But an initial review Kelly ordered of the viability of trying the five terror suspects there found the island an unsuitable location.

"An NYPD initial review has found Governor’s Island an impractical alternative as a site for the trial of the 9/11 defendants, principally because of risks related to transporting the prisoners to and from the island, as well as the general lack of modern infrastructure there," Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said in a statement.

The NYPD's findings no doubt quiet, at least in part, the political outcry over Bloomberg's flat-out rejection of the proposal.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver lambasted the mayor's comments as close-minded and tactless. He, along with Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Daniel Squadron and City Councilmember Margaret Chin released a joint statement Friday in condemnation.

“We were extremely disappointed by Mayor Bloomberg’s callous dismissal yesterday of a potential alternative location for the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," the statement read. "His comments in the Downtown Express... [demonstrate] a lack of sensitivity and understanding for the significant toll the trial may exact on the residents and small businesses of Lower Manhattan."